IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys! Welcome back! So for this chapter I decided to do something different, as promised Thalia is finally taking her role, and also we're going to see what happened to Zeus just after his men dragged him away from his home.
I hope you guys are looking forward to it! Enjoy!
A girl crouched low in the bushes, her bow and arrows in hand, just watching the terrifying explosions and deaths of war. Memories flooded back into her head, memories of a little blonde haired boy with sky blue eyes, memories of the warmth she felt when she held him in her arms. The young scout stood up and scurried into the woods to tell her leader what she saw. "Artemis!" she cried running into view of two of her fellow hunters. "I must see Artemis!"
"Why do you wish to see her?" asked one, who raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"I have some important news that I must share with her." Replied the girl. She knew the only reason they asked was because she was far younger than anyone in the hunters, she was only nine but her maturity was of 20, and she was as bold as a lion. "Please let me through!"
"What tis it?" asked the other one, her name was Zoe Nightshade and out of all the hunters she was by far the nicest to the girl. Zoe's black as night hair poured over her shoulder as she crouched to the young girl's level.
"The Firstblood kingdom is at war." Informed the girl. "Now let me pass!" Zoe lifted her head staring up at the sky as if questioning the stars. The other hunter smiled disbelievingly.
"Do you have proof of this?" she asked. The girl did not speak but instead pointed over the trees where an explosion of soot from crushed bricks puffed up high into the air and sent a rumbling across the land, most likely by a cannon or catapult. The hunter who stood disbelievingly just a few moments ago now terrifyingly looked as though she most definitely believed.
"Come on! Thy must hurry!" Zoe cried, pushing the girl into the tent of Artemis.
"Artemis!" The girl screamed. A small women no older then eighteen at the most stood up and looked to the girl.
"Yes Thalia?" she asked. "What is it?" Thalia huffed and stared into the leader's silver eyes, Artemis's auburn lay down along her back, she was quite beautiful.
"It's Firstblood!" Thalia cried.
"Yes?" Artemis continued her eyes digging through Thalia's for more information.
"We are at war!" Thalia cried. Artemis stood up straight and called of her faithful hunters over.
"Go, make sure all the hunters are armed and prepared." Artemis ordered. "This fight might spread across the land and I want all of you to be prepared." The hunters inside the tent nodded and ran out to warn their camp. Artemis turned to Thalia with an honorable nod of her head. "You were brave to tell me this as soon as it came to be, your courage is noted."
"Thank you miss." Thalia replied bowing her head in respect and exiting the tent to warn her fellow hunters.
…..o0o…..
The whole time his knights dragged him away he kicked and yelled, begging them to let him go so he could save his son. "Your grace, there's nothing we can do for him." One of the knights told him.
"Not until we regroup and plan." Added another.
"He's only four!" Zeus yelled. Eventually Zeus realized his knights we're not going to let him go so he gave up and bowed he head. "Lord save my son, keep him safe." Zeus whispered. Now having lost a wife, a son, and a daughter Zeus was overcome with dread.
Zeus ordered his knights to let him loose and they did after he promised he wouldn't go after his son foolishly when they did. If was on foot from there on, Zeus didn't know what his knights expected to find out here, there was nothing for miles.
"Hunters!" Yelled one of his nights. "Hunters! Show yourselves! We need help!" Zeus now thought his knights were on the verge of going insane speaking to people who cannot be seen or heard. But that's when he heard it.
"Why do you come to us?" asked a voice of power and authority, Zeus was surprised to discover this voice belonged to a women. "What do you need from us that you can't already receive in Firstblood?" Zeus looked across the woods, past trees, over bushes, but he could not see any possible source of the voice. But then why did it seem so close? Suddenly there was a rustling in the trees and a some thuds and Zeus looked all around to see he and his knights were surrounded.
"We come because we need shelter, our king and us have been thrown out of our own kingdom by a traitor, and if we cannot find shelter soon we will be hunted down and killed." Answered one of the knights, unfazed by the enemy's surprise appearance.
"We offer nothing to you, just as you offered nothing to us." Replied a young women who stepped forward and glared at them men in front of her. Around the woman stood more women who aimed armed bow straight at the knights faces. "Look around you, these are the women who suffered much and were offered nothing by men such as yourself, what gives you the right to ask us for help?"
"We are not of those men that hurt you all, we come in peace, and…" The knights tossed their weapons aside. "…we are unarmed."
"What are your names?" asked the women, now that Zeus saw her in more light he was shocked to see she was no older then eighteen at the most. But now Zeus realized her question were addressed to him.
"I am Zeus, king of Firstblood." Zeus gestured to his knights. "These are my honorable knights, Sir Edward, Sir Frederick, Sir Henry, Sir Xalvador, and Sir Thomas." Zeus turned back to the women and asked, "What are your names?"
"I am Artemis, leader of the hunters." She introduced. She pointed to each hunter as she listed their names. "These are my hunters, Zoe, Bianca, Gloria, Elizabeth, Alice, Arabella, Eleanor, Muriel, Helena, Serphina, Farfelee, and Thalia." As she pointed to her last Zeus's eye popped open wide it was Thalia, it was truly her, it was his daughter. Zeus could see it in her eyes she knew too that the man standing before her was her father but she did not move from her position. "There are many more of us, but these are the hunters who stand with me."
"Thalia!" Zeus cried. He stared at his daughter who was now nine, her dark black hair glowed in the light of the sun, her sky blue eyes full of mystery, she stood bold and proud, and when he looked at her face he couldn't help but think how much she looked like her mother.
"Father," Thalia addressed nodding her head in respect as if he was just another person. Zeus felt torn, was there something wrong with him?
"Where have you been?" asked Zeus. "I searched everywhere for you."
"I-" Thalia started but was cut off.
"We can settle that later, right now let us focus on the matter at hand." Artemis suggested. Zeus didn't really want to, but Artemis was right, first things first. "We see us sheltering you benefits you, but what of us?"
"If you shelter us I when return to the throne and restore my family's fortune, I will give you whatever you need and to make sure it happens, I will deliver it personally myself." Zeus answered.
"And if you don't return to your throne?"
"We will help you, work for you for the years, and you ask anything of us." Zeus offered.
"Very well, you can stay with us." Artemis said. Zeus smiled. "But, if by any reason you do not keep your promise, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and take what's mine, is that understood?"
"Yes." Zeus assured. With that said and done, Artemis lead the men to the hunters' camp, where they were addressed to their living courters and fed. When night fell upon the land and Zeus was just about to lay his head down to sleep, Thalia snuck into his tent and struggled to explain what happened a year ago when she disappeared.
…..o0o…..
Thalia overcome with grief and guilt, snuck into her father's tent and shook him. He sat up in his bed and stared at her. "I wanted to explain," She said. "About why I never came back."
"Yes?" Zeus asked, sitting up further.
"Well," Thalia started. "When Ares took me to play in the woods, thieves came…" as Thalia a spoke the memory gripped her and she couldn't help but let a few tears slip.
…..o0o…..
Flashback:
Thalia had never liked Ares, but she was happy that he at least did one thing for her. He lead Thalia through the woods where she jumped around and played. "Will you play Hide and Seek with me?" she asked Ares.
"Oh alright," Ares practically growled.
"Perfect!" Thalia replied. "I'll hide, you seek." Thalia ran off and hid behind a tree watching Ares try and find her. But then suddenly out of seemingly nowhere a hand wrapped around her mouth, she tried to scream but it was muffled.
"Hold still!" growled a sickly evil tone. She felt one hand move along her body and steal her valuables, the other held her. When she tried to kick and squirm the hand was removed from her mouth and a knife held to her throat. "Hold still." The voice said again. He felt herself being pulled into a much tighter grip as she was passed to someone else, the man held her still and tied her hands after that they got on horses.
"Leave me alone." She begged quietly, not wanted to be hurt. As she cried she looked around desperately for Ares, and that's when she saw him just standing there in the distance staring not making a move to help. As the thieves road away with her and her valuables she saw Ares smirk sinisterly and walk away. Thalia had never felt so abandoned. Later on the hunters rescued her and trained her well, almost a year went by and there was no sign that her father was even looking for her, and it was from that moment on she decided he didn't care.
End of flashback
…..o0o…..
"I thought you didn't care," Thalia whimpered. "I thought you wanted me gone, but when you said you searched everywhere and I looked into your eyes, I knew you must have been telling the truth." Thalia cried the memory was so much harder to take now that she knew she was wrong. Her father pulled her into his arms.
"There, there." He said. "I'm here now." Thalia had always been mature ever since she met the hunters but at this moment she felt it was right to feel like a kid again. But then something much bigger occurred to her.
"Where's mom and Jason?" she asked. Zeus sighed and hung his head and Thalia knew something was wrong.
"Your mother's dead." Thalia's heart stopped thudding for a second.
"What?" she asked. "How?"
"She was murdered, I tried to save her, but I was too late." Zeus answered.
"And what of Jason?" Thalia squeaked afraid to hear the answer.
"Ares took him prisoner." Zeus replied. It was then Zeus told Thalia the highlights of the war and Thalia had never felt more outraged in her entire life. It was then she vowed that someday she would get her little brother back, no matter the cost.
Years went by and Thalia grew wiser and braver. She became close to her father again, although it was never the same. Her father grew wiser and more ready to take down Ares by the minute. Thalia became Artemis's right hand women, after Zoe.
When they heard Ares had married and now has a wife and a step daughter they made sure to get more information. The hunters and knights became close and trained together. Supplies were gathered and weapons were made. Another war was coming…
So how was that for a change? Don't worry in the next chapter we'll learn of Annabeth's plan, but did I do good? Tell me what you think, Please Read and Review!
Samantha's Library.
